Fishing appliance



W. 1. LLOYD.

FISHING APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED umso, 1920.

1,41 0,8 1 7. Patented Mar. 28,1922.

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`55 y y p shall not aln'e effect the catching ef sea 'WALTER JOSEPHLLOYD,` on STUART, FLORIDA.

IFISHING APPLIANCE.

Toallwhomz't may concern.' fV Y "Beit known that ]WALTER` JQ LLOYD, acitizen of the United States, and resident of Stuart, in the countyoffPalmBeach 'and State of FloridaA have invented a new and improvedFishing Appliance, of' which the l pear in the annexed following is afull,clear, and exact description.

My invention relates toa fishing appliance, and aims to provide a deviceof this` character, more particularly adapted for use in connection withthe Acatchingof larger classes of sea and fresh Water animals, vsuch assharks, sea. lions, alligators, etc., but` being `primarily intended tobe utilized in connection With the catching of sharks.

It is Well appreciated in connect-ion with the vshark catching industry,that it has been quite customary to resort to two different methods, thefirst beingl that of utilizing a net, and the second Where a hook andline are employed.

The rst expedient has proven far` from satisfactory, in that a netinvolved the eX penditure of a considerable amount of money, and itsmeshes` are readily severed struggles of sharks Within the net.

Thej second method also offers objections dueto the f'act that a greateramount of time and labor must be employed to produceeiiicient'results'aside `from the fact that the individuals manipulatingthe line'must be extremely strong, for the reason that a shark orsimilar animal, upon beingcaught, will exert a tremendous pulling force.

Having this in mind, I have constructed a fishing appliance, moreparticularly in the nature of a float, and Which shall be capable ofbeing utilized to advantage in the catching of all larger types of Wateranimals. .y

A further object of my invention is the provision of a device of thischaracter, which shall indicate to an observer, at `al distant point, asto Whether anything has been caught upon the hook, or other elementasso',- ciated With the fishing appliance. A stillfurther object of myinvention is the provision ofva fishing appliance, which shall beprovided-.With indicating means serving to indicate as t0 ,Whether thebait may have been r'emovedfrom the catching element, or Whether thesaine has not been disturbed. l lAnother object of my invention is theyprovisionof a device of the type specified, which Specification ofLetters Iatent.

due tothe c locality,

l i A bracket 11 y Patented Mar'. 28,1922.

Application filed Deeember ao, 1920. serial naeaaom.

mals, and fishes, but ivhicli shall also include l means serving as anattraction to these animals so that they Will be attracted to thecatching medium through a relativelygreat distance. i i

Further objects of 'my invention Will ap-` specification and drawingsWhich latter present onepractical einbodiment of my invention, and inWhich- `Figure 1 is afragmentary partly` sectional i side elevation of afishing appliance, constructed in accordance `With myinvention,andshowing the yparts of the same arranged in their normal position. y cc 4 Figure 2 is aside elevation of therappliance and showing theposition Which the parts assume upon an animal having been caught. AFigure 3 illustrates the method of arranging a plurality of theseappliances in a vsingle group, and Y Figure 4 is an end view of one ofthe elements employed in connection With my fishlng appliance. y

In these views the reference numeral 5 indicates the body of a floatwhich is provided `With conical end portions 6, and has `associated withit suitable securing means 7,

inthe nature of' ring bolts, by `meansfof `which it? may be` retainediny any c desired in a y manner hereinafter more fully specified. VH1, vi "p One of the endv portions 6 of the fica-t `5.1nay conveniently beprovided with a securing element 8 to which the upper end of a chain v,

or cable 9 may be attached, ahook suitable catching element 10, ofy anycharacter beingl iiXed `to the opposite .end of this member. i

or any is aiiixedto, and extends` beyond the secondi end portion .6 ofthe float 5, and is pivotally secured as at 12, adjacent the outerend ofthis bracketfis a signal member including a body 13,V with which a ball-14e or other suitable visu-al indicating means may be associated, it`being nnoted in this connection p thatA ,this velement morethanfccunterebalancesthe!inner end of the body 13 so that the same tendsto fall over.

In thislconnection it is to be noted that any suitable typeoflockingdevicmsuch as prongs 15, forming a part `of they inner end dithekbodylf the Shoulders 16 of theprongs.

15 engaging with the braeketll to prevent a', return of theqbody 13 toitsnriiial posi,-

desired e tienlupon thesanshav-ingonce' moved te the position indicatedin dotted lines in Figure l. Also the stop 17 may conveniently form apart of the same from falling in a direction other than that indicatedby the arrow in Figure 1', for

va purpose hereinafter more fully specified.

lAssuming that the bait 18 hasbeen associated With the catchingappliance 410, it will be seen that by providing a second chain or cable19, having its upper end secured to the inner end of the body 13, its'lower end being connectedto the element 9 by a relatively fragile'connection, such as a piece i' of shing'line 20, that the signal,including` the ball 14 Will assume the position shown in Figure 1', thefloat 5 assuming ahorizontal position. In other Words, the body- V13'andy ballllywill be disposed at right angles to the longitudinal axis ofthe float.

' It will thus be obvious, thatuponthe bait 18 having fbeen removed fromthe hook, by

i small'fishes of asize incapable of being caught by this element, andof a Weightinsuicient to cause a severance of the line 20, thattheballlvvill counter balance the Weight r of the cable vor chain 9, asWell as the similar element 19, and vvillrdrop to the position indicatedin dotted lines in Figure k1. yThus a remote observer is capable ofnoting. that it'vvill be necessary to bait Athe appliancev again, asboth theiicat and signal vvill be extendingin a horizontal plane, -areturn of the latterbeing precluded by virtue of the interlockingengagement provided by the 'shoulders 16 of the prongs 15, and thebracket 11. K A, e .Y

lf, on the other hand, a shark orrother sea animal has taken the hook 10or catching a vimplements utilized it Will be seen that this will4effect a severance of the fragile element 20', which Will permitthe'ball 14 to drop downwardly, asha's been indicated in dotted lines inFigure 1,'inwhich position it Will -beiretained by virtue ofthestructure aforevthe kfloat specified. 4

Subsequent, or simultaneous tovthis action,

will move on end, dueto the shifthe pull Vof the weights associated ingof therewith,I and it will be perfectly obviousV to the distantobserver,y reference beinghad to Figure 2, thatan animal has been caughtnNew with a view ofl providing means serving as an lattraction tor4attract the animal forVV fish to yloe caught.' it Will be noted,

reference being' hady to Figure 1, that Iprol idea tank 421 'withinthejfloat 5, vvhichtank mayfbefprovided vvith Yaffilling opening-22,

and a ldrip opening'23- at its lovver'end. This ,tank 'is adapted toVreceive blood or a similar' `,substance"serving as' an attraction tothe `animals to be caught, andl it will be obvious v that thisdripping-action will permeate lthe vvaterthereabouta -allfd to :somedistance therefreajsathet the shark@ @their animal bodyV 13, to prevent'thev will be caused to move to the proximity of the appliance, thusincreasing' the general efiiciency Y of Y, the latter.

Thus I have'provided an appliance of the naturey specified, which mayeither be anchored by means of a chain 211, or be arranged on what iscommonlyV known as a trot line 25, as in Figure 8, in which latterinstance,"tlietr`ot line will pass through the upper ring bolt 7. Y

It Will alsol be seen that my appliance will' yserve to provideindicating means, as for instance, When the float and ball areAlk in theposition illustrated in full lines in Fig- Y ure 1, a distantobservermaybe assuredthat no animal has'been caught by the [appliance, and thatthe bait is properly in position thereon, Where the ball is inthefpos'ition illustrated in dotted lines in 'V Figure 1,V

thatfthe bait lhas been vremoved byfsome water animals,l and vvhere thepartsnare both extended in a :vertical plane that the ,appliance musthave attention'as'an animal or fish has Abeen caught thereon,

Obviously a device of thisV type, will `avoid difficulties incidenttothe manual manipulation of a hook and line, `as Well as overcoming theobjections vvith regards to the Yutilization ofa conventional net.

2. A fishing appliance,including a float,

a signal associated ivith said float, said-signal being adapted tovnormally extend in a plane atright angles to the longitudinal axis ofsaid'floaha catching device l'sup- Aported by said oatand adapted tofio-,operatervith saidsignal, to cause the same Vto move into the-sameplane as that occupied 'by the fioat upon the baitbeing removed fromsaid catching device, vand fur-ther means for causing said joat tooccupy .af'substantially verticalplane upon an animalbfe'-comingattachedr to said catching device.

3.' A ishing applianceincludinga flo.a.ta bracket attached tonsaidfloat,A a signalfincluding a body pivotallyl attached ltofsaid bracket,means serving as ,an indicatori-eattached to the outer end ofsaid body,a'nd serving vas a counter 'Weight tendingitonormally .overbalance thesame, avcatching/de- 'vice attached to said YHeat and normallysuspended. from' the meer! @11d-rf' Said `@.OolrPeiiso tion, the Weightof said catching appliance upon being properly baited, being greaterthan the counter balancing tendency of the indicator associated With theouter end of said body portion.

4. A fishing Iappliance, including a float, a bracket attached to saidfloat, a signal including a body pivotally attached to said bracket,means serving as an indicator` ,attached to the outer end of said body,and serving as a counter Weight tending to normally overbalance thesame, a catching device attached to said float and normally suspendedfrom the inner end of said body portion, the weight of said catchingappliance, upon being properly baited being greater than the counterbalancing tendency of the indicator associated With the outer end ofsaid body portion, and means preventing .a movement on the lpart of saidbody portion with respect to the said bracket other than in apredetermined direction.

5. A fishing appliance, including a float, a bracket attached to saidfloat, a signal including a body pivotally .attached to said bracket,means serving as an indicator attached to the outer end of said body andserving as a counter Weight tending` to normally overbalance the same, acatching device attached to said float and normally suspended from theinner end of said body portion, the Weight of said catching applianceupon being properly baited being greater than the counter balancingtend- 6. A fishing appliance, including a float, a

signal including a body pivotally attached to said ioat, means attachedto the outer end of said body and tending to over balance the same, acatching appliance and at-y taching medium serving to secure the same tosaid float, and a cord adapted to be broken and serving to normallysuspend said catching yappliance from the inner end of said bodyportion.

7. A fishing appliance, including a float, a signal including a bodypivotally attached to said ioat, means attached to the outer end of saidbody and tending to over balance the same, a catching appliance andattaching medium serving to secure the same to said float, and a further.attaching medium presenting a portion adapted to be broken, said latterattaching medium serving to normally suspend said catching device fromsaid iioat.

WALTER JOSEPH LLOYD.

